To be or not to be

Theatre, performing arts are from within our soil and most certainly part of the cultural fabric of the land

That is the question. But before it is answered, read on.

Theatre as an effective teaching tool is being practised successfully all around Europe, the United States and also a major part of the Indian subcontinent. But syllabus-makers in Pakistan have been unable to draw a comprehensive strategically-created programme for the educational institutions vis-a-vis theatre and the performing arts are concerned. The reasons are numerous and equally puzzling. Most people I come across blame cultural values. And that is somehow a baffling notion to me, because history in fact proves otherwise.

A cursory study of the region indicates that theatre specifically and performing arts generally, have been a part of the culture of the subcontinent for centuries (Albinia, 2008). What do we categorise as the works of our Sufi saints, if not a very refined form of theatre? With works of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Waris Shah, Mian Mohammad and a host of other luminaries, leading the world of bards and minstrels, our villages used to be rife with such activities as nautanki, mandli, folk lore singing, etc. And these produced great internationally renowned performers like Alam Lohar, Tufail Niazi, Allan Faqir, Faiz Mohammad Baloch, etc.

Culture is actually geographical and cannot be tied down by any dogma — religious or otherwise. It evolves from the soil. It belongs to the land and its denizens. Yes, conquerors, invaders, rulers and the like might leave their footprint but only those will persist that are compatible with the local culture. Any forced inclusion will be thrown out at the first opportunity.

So theatre and any kind of performing art is from within our soil and is most certainly part of the cultural fabric of the land. Having said that, Pakistan must introduce theatre in its educational curriculum from the very start. It is such a wide area of study that like other subjects, it must be introduced at the basic school level and as in Europe and the Americas, it can continue on till the degree level.

It might come as a surprise to most that in this age, where freedom of expression is the norm of the day and it is more than evident by all that is being aired and written on the electronic media and newspapers under its guise, theatre is being treated as a step-child. If anyone wants to stage a play in Pakistan, not only do they require a no-objection certificate (noc) from the relevant authority (which has long since become irrelevant) one also has to face the despicable practice of getting the script censored.

But on the brighter side, it is indeed heartening to see that educational institutions here, in their private capacity at least, are waking up to the realisation of the importance of theatre study. Quite a few seasoned and trained theatre actors are now directly involved with such endeavours. Setting up the National Academy for Performing Arts by non-other than the unparalleled Zia Mohiyuddin might have seemed like a small step but it actually was a giant leap in the right direction. The contribution of a host of Western cultural institutions like the Goethe institut and the Alliance Francaise in promoting theatre in Pakistan cannot be ignored. In fact, the first-ever children theatre group in Pakistan was launched by the Goethe institut Karachi back in the early 80s. It goes by the name of Grips Theatre, a branch of Grips Theatre Berlin. The writer being the ambassador of Grips Theatre of Berlin in Pakistan, has been teaching theatre and music and its relevant subjects in different high schools across the country and now as the head of the department mass communication and media sciences doing the same at Greenwich University with marvellous results. Students are not only learning about theatre activities around the globe but their political and social impact on society as well.

It is high time that the theatre syllabus was supervised and developed with the participation of prominent theatre personalities of our country under the supervision of the Higher Education Commission. I can bet that if given the opportunity, all theatre folk will be more than willing to participate. The leading institutions already having theatre personalities as faculty, would love to collaborate and work as a launch pad for promoting theatre studies in Pakistan.

One must not forget the highly enriching cultural and theatrical contributions of great writers and directors such as Khawaja Moinuddin, Ali Ahmed, Kamal Ahmed Rizvi, Shoaib Hashmi and a host of others, and pass it on to our younger generations and keep our theatre culture alive. A return of intellectually enlightened and confident youth, brimming with grit and gumption is promised to lead and represent the country wherever they might be.

So the answer to Shakespeare is, ‘to be’, all the way.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2016.

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